A study looking at whether a type of protein in your body can affect your response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy (PAGE)

Cancer type:

All cancer types

Status:

Results

Phase:

Phase 3

This study was to see if there was a link between the body’s ability to repair its damaged cells, and how it responded to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A cell becomes cancerous when the genetic instructions (DNA) inside its control centre (nucleus Open a glossary item ) tell the cell to divide, but not when to stop. These cells continue to divide out of control and eventually form a lump which we call cancer.

Radiotherapy, and some chemotherapy, works by damaging DNA so that the cell can’t divide anymore. But these treatments can also damage DNA in healthy cells. This is why people may have side effects such as hair loss with chemotherapy, or sore skin with radiotherapy.

Some cells use a protein (‘enzyme’) called ‘PARP 1’ to help repair their damaged DNA. This may mean that the cell can survive anti cancer therapy. It may also affect the side effects people have, or how well treatment works. People have different levels of the PARP 1 enzyme. Researchers looked at the level of PARP 1 before the start of treatment. They also looked at blood and tissue samples. They linked the level of enzyme found to information about people’s treatment and any side effects they may have had.

The aim of this study was to see if there was a link between PARP 1 levels, chemotherapy and radiotherapy side effects.

Summary of results

The study team found that the level of the PARP 1 enzyme did not affect side effects of treatment.

This study recruited 56 healthy volunteers and 118 people with cancer. The researchers took a blood sample from each person.

They looked at the level of PARP 1 in each sample. They also looked at the side effects of treatment.

The study team concluded that there was no link between the level of the PARP 1 enzyme and the side effects of treatment.

We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed Open a glossary item ) but may not have been published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.